Where to get your fix for National Fried Chicken Day July 6
Zac Brown Band said it best: “It’s funny how it’s the little things in life that mean the most”—and in the South, fried chicken ranks high on that list of things. So for National Fried Chicken Day July 6, we’ve rounded up some of the best spots to get your fried chicken fix in the Triangle. Cold beer pairing optional, but encouraged. Nosh on!
Beasley’s icon status makes it a given for any local fried chicken list—and for good reason. AC serves hers up fresh, crispy and topped with honey (hence the resto name). Order it by the piece or make it a delicious chicken and waffle masterpiece for a proper brunch—or brinner!
This crowd-pleasing comfort food resto with three locations in the Triangle (Cary, Durham and Chapel Hill) elevates its “almost world-famous” chicken and waffles with shmears (aka whipped sweet creme butters) and drizzles. Try a sweet potato waffle with maple-pecan shmear and a sweet whiskey cream drizzle for a combo that’ll blow your mind. You’ll never go back to a traditional chicken and waffle again!
Southern comfort food gets a tasty twist at Tupelo Honey, where its famous bone-in fried chicken is brined for over 18 hours then cooked to perfection and topped with your choice of “bee dust,” Sriracha honey sauce, or sweet and spicy sauce. Really spice things up with Tupelo’s mac-n-cheese waffles with Asheville hot fried chicken—if you can handle the heat…
Breakfast for dinner? Don’t mind if we do. It doesn’t get much better than chef Sean Fowler’s signature chicken and waffles made with fried Joyce Farms chicken, a buckwheat waffle, collards, sauteed mushrooms, bacon mushroom emulsion, and truffle honey. So boujee and, oh, so delicious. Pinky’s up!
Bojangles has nothing on the State Farmers Market Restaurant’s fried chicken biscuit—a Southern staple perfect for a post-farmers market perk up or, let’s be real, a hangover.
We’re calling it—Iyla’s Southern Kitchen wins the chicken sandwich wars. The Morgan Street Food Hall outpost offers an array of loaded fried chicken sandos, including a Nashville-style hot chicken sandwich with comeback sauce, pickles and coleslaw, and a chicken and waffle sandwich, aka fried chicken between two waffles and topped with Cackalaky aioli, housemade pimento cheese and coleslaw. Trust us, you’re gonna want extra napkins.
5 things you probably didn’t know about the NC Courage.
NC’s professional women’s soccer team proved that courage truly pays off after winning the NWSL Challenge Cup—the club’s first Challenge Cup title in franchise history (um, #squadgoals). Now, the Courage are putting on a brave face for the 2022 regular season—now underfoot, er, underway—and we’re confident these ballers are gonna play for keeps and kick up another trophy. Until then, we dish five fun facts about our #girlpower goal-getters.
1
In May, the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF), the U.S. Women’s National Team Players Association (USWNTPA) and the U.S. National Soccer Team Players Association (USNSTPA) came to a historic agreement on equal pay for women (!).
2
Star midfielder Debinha was named the National Women’s Soccer League Challenge Cup MVP.
3
The Courage have players repping six different countries for international play (including the U.S., New Zealand, Brazil, Jamaica, Ireland and Mexico) with five players boasting World Cup experience.
4
French forward Valérie Gauvin signed a one-year deal with the NC Courage in late March. The 25-year-old represented France in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, scoring the opening tally for the French against Brazil. A great addition to the team, for sure!
5
Confidence meets courage in the NC Courage’s timely partnership with leading medical aesthetics business Merz Aesthetics, which aims to promote confidence, character and sportsmanship among Courage fans and beyond.
RDU Airport is taking off, thanks to a slew of star-powered concepts.
We’re back! … Well, almost. International flights are rapidly resuming at RDU Airport, with Icelandair launching in May, London and Montreal flights going wheels up in June, and flights to Paris poised to return in August. Airport parking lots are teeming with cars. And the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority Board received a $1.3 million grant to fund the ongoing environmental assessment for the relocation and expansion of RDU’s primary 10,000-foot runway. Add to that RDU is at 89% of 2019 passenger traffic numbers—compared to a near nil 4% at the lowest point in 2020, according to RDU CEO Mike Landguth.
To feed the frenzy, the Airport Authority is elevating Terminal 2 to a world-class experience via a host of new hot spots. For starters, RDU landed celeb chef Scott Crawford for not one, but two new concepts, slated to drop in 2023: Crawford’s Genuine and Carolina Craft, in partnership with Miami’s Grove Bay Hospitality Group.
Opening in the now-occupied 42nd Street Oyster location, Crawford’s Genuine will transform the already uberpopular terminal destination into an elevated bar and grill concept featuring a top-notch cocktail and local beer program to sip on while you savor all-day selects—anything from a sandwich to a breakfast bowl with grits and eggs to a steak cooked over wood with seasonal vegetables. For those chasing the gate, grab-and-go options will also be on offer.
Complementing the local lean of Crawford’s Genuine, Carolina Craft will be heavily focused on all things NC, with locally sourced tapas-style food, wine and NC craft beers. “We do recognize that, at the airport, we are feeding a lot of people and a very diverse range of people,” says Crawford, “and we need to make sure the menu has items that are pleasing to just about anyone. I think [these concepts] represent the whole Triangle very well, which is really important as a first impression,” adding: “You know the saying, you get one chance at a first impression.”
In another power move, RDU is opening a ghost kitchen this year, which will make it one of only two in the nation. Operated by REEF Kitchens and featuring nine local and national concepts, the REEF Virtual Food Hall will allow you to place an order via an app or at a kiosk and retrieve your food hot and ready from a temperature-controlled locker… or get your food delivered to your seat!
Rounding out the RDU upgrades is what is replacing the Starbucks situated at the bottom of the post-TSA checkpoint escalators. The ubiquitous Seattle roaster will give way to local caffeine fix Black & White Coffee Roasters, which houses current locations in DTR, Wake Forest and Rolesville. Adding to the buzz factor, Durham-based Beyu Caffe will percolate in pre-security outposts in Terminals 1 and 2, hopefully before the holiday season, says RDU Chief Revenue Officer David Freedman.
“Historically when an airport has brought in things that are more reflective of the local community, people tend to recognize it and spend a little bit more there,” Freedman maintains. “I think it’s also a great way to highlight the great things that are going on in our community to folks who are traveling here for the first time—and they can get a sense of our food scene and the great offerings we have here.”
And, surely, the new F&B concepts—plus the airport’s other improvements—will help increase traffic both to and through RDU.
“When we look at our long-term infrastructure plan, we call it Vision 2040, we have to make sure that we have the infrastructure in place—the runways, the taxiways, the terminals, the concessions,” says Landguth. “All these amenities make sure we can continue to serve our customers, as not only do we [hope to] reach recovery and our 2019 numbers, but we believe overtime we will exceed those numbers.”
Ready to fly now?
Susan Holt Photography Star chef Scott Crawford’s highly anticipated Crawford’s Genuine will open in the current 42nd Street Oyster Bar location in Terminal 2 in late 2023, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner—plus to-go options.
Turns out, a simple “best” signoff may not be so simple. It’s hardly shocking that words and usage can have varying interpretations based on context, author and audience. But did you know that applies to your email signature as well? … And it’s a trending topic.
In short, a vast array of seemingly harmless signoffs can be translated as passive aggressive—or altogether rude or nasty. Case in point, the latest tea sweeping social that “best” apparently means “go f*** yourself.” So we had to ask: If “best” can be so abrasive and duplicitous, how can the other seemingly harmless signoffs we’re using on the daily be interpreted? So we dug deep. Here, find our comprehensive guide on what your email signature really means—and which ones won’t get you in trouble.
Thank you = I am not thankful at all and am furious I even had to send you an email.
Regards = I really don’t care.
Sincerely = This is the most insincere email I’ve ever sent.
Talk soon = Never contact me again.
Looking forward to hearing from you = You will get a followup email from me in less than 24 hours if I don’t get a reply.
Bye = I couldn’t be bothered to come up with anything more courteous to say.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts = I could care less about what you think.
Hope this helps = You’re an idiot.
Do not hesitate to contact me = Please hesitate.
Take care = I hope you have a horrible day/week/year.
Ta ta = I’m pretending to be British today.
See you soon = I hope we never have to come face to face.
Hope this is OK = It better be OK.
Safe Signoffs
Thank you! – An exclamation point shows that you truly are thankful!
Cheers – Save this one for a friend/colleague you’re close to—or if you’re meeting the contact for drinks later.
[Your name] – The safest sendoff of all is to not even have one!
Experience peak summer produce at chef Sean Fowler’s Tomato Dinner this summer.
Mandolin chef/owner Sean Fowler is bringing the concept of “farm to table” to a whole new level with his Tomato Dinner on Aug. 14 and 15. The menu will focus on—you guessed it—peak summer tomatoes, which Fowler grows a variety of on his own Mandolin Farm. Taste the season’s bounty through several courses, including a sungold tarte tatin with whipped mozzarella, basil gel and herbs; grilled quail with dirty rice, okra and tomato gastrique; and, for dessert, a tomato hibiscus sorbet—each course served with wine pairings to boot (!).
Here, Fowler shares his recipe for pickled cherry tomatoes, which you can—and should—add to everything this summer, from salads to toast to grilled meat and seafood. mandolinraleigh.com
Pickled Cherry Tomatoes
INGREDIENTS
1 qt. cherry tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 sprig of basil
1 sprig of rosemary
1 pint white balsamic
1 pint of water
2 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
DIRECTIONS
Poke holes in each of the cherry tomatoes and place them in a quart-size pickle jar with the herbs. Bring all other ingredients to a boil. Pour the liquid over the tomatoes and seal the jar. Keep refrigerated for up to 12 months to enjoy your summer harvest year-round.
